


Protector

by virgilsjourney (jenna221b)



Series: Sanders Sides Ficlets [4]
Category: Sanders Sides, Thomas Sanders
Genre: Gen, Harry Potter - Freeform, Heartwarming, One Shot, harry potter and the prisoner of azkaban - Freeform, they're growing so much bless, watching a movie together
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-02
Updated: 2017-09-02
Packaged: 2018-12-23 03:47:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,106
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11981475
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jenna221b/pseuds/virgilsjourney
Summary: Takes place after ‘Fitting In (Hogwarts Houses!)’. Roman and Virgil watch Harry Potter & The Prisoner of Azkaban together. Conversations are had and lessons are learned.





	Protector

“Alright. Favourite character on three.”

“I can’t choose among my darling babies!”

“Roman, they’re not your- whatever, fine. Favourite... book to movie adaptation.”

“Ooh, fancy schmancy. Okay, one, two, three-”

“Prisoner of Azkaban.”

They answer perfectly in sync, and Roman gasps, clapping his hands in excitement and delight. “I  _knew_  it!”

Virgil rolls his eyes. “Oh, please, you probably just like it cause Harry’s hair is at its most accurate.”

“True, it is _fabulously_ disheveled, but I was more going for... I don’t know, it’s more intangible, just the- the atmosphere is portrayed so well and... of course, there’s still issues- like, The Marauders were not given nearly enough time to explore, nor the Animagi concept and-”

“How about we just watch it, then?” Virgil smirks. “I swear, you’re getting nerdier with every passing day.”

Roman scrabbles around for the DVD, shouting back, “Excuse you, I’ve  _always_ been passionate about Potterlore.”

“ _No_ , really? I don’t think anyone’s noticed.”

Roman has already pressed play on the DVD, loudly humming along to the theme tune. The beginning passes pleasantly enough, although Virgil starts to feel a horrible prickle of familiarity when Harry storms out of Number 4, Privet Drive. Things are  _different_ now, he reminds himself, and he concentrates on trying to keep his breathing measured.

Roman glances at him out of the corner of his eye. He doesn’t say anything, but subtly taps  _1, 2, 3, 4_ on a pillow, and it helps, a little. 

They reach The Knight Bus scene and Virgil hears the laughter building in Roman’s voice, even as he tries to say it casually: “Oh, look.” He points as the talking head cracks another pun. “There’s Patton.”

Virgil bursts out into surprised laughter. “D-doesn’t that make Logan  _Stan Shunpike?!_ ”

Roman chuckles. “Wait, wait, hold on!” He snaps his fingers and a replica of Logan’s glasses appear on his face. He adjusts them in an uncanny impression, that shatters as he drawls, “Objectively!” in an appalling cockney accent.

“Oh God,  _never_ do that again, Roman, I’ll have nightmares.”

There’s comfortable silence for a while. Virgil finds it oddly endearing how enraptured Roman gets while watching the movie: he mouths along with some lines, and his face goes through a roller-coaster of expressions.

And then, they get to the scene where the Hogwarts Express stops.

And Virgil can feel his uneasiness grow, and he should just be  _silent_ , damn it, but he feels like just saying something will make him feel better and, hey, Roman will find it funny, right...?

“Oh, look.” Virgil points as Ron’s hand reaches up to cover the ice forming along the train window. “It’s me.”

Roman’s brow furrows. “...Say what? You’re not  _Ron_.”

 _Backfired, bad idea, horrible idea!_  “No, I-” Virgil clears his throat. “I meant-”

The dementor looms onto the screen, and Roman’s face turns white.

“Uh, relax, Roman, it was just a joke.”

_He doesn’t need to know it’s a defensive mechanism, ha ha ha, just laugh **please-**_

Roman stares at Virgil. His eyes are wide in absolute horror. “But that’s not true at  _all!_ ” 

And... wow. He bellows it out with such ferocity that Virgil feels touched.

“It’s fine, Roman. Here.” He nods at the screen. “This means Logan is Lupin, in a way.”

Because isn’t that the truth? he thinks despondently. If not for Logan and that... curve thing, he could never be... managed.

Roman still doesn’t look remotely happy. But, he keeps quiet, brow still furrowed, as if in deep concentration. Eventually, he blessedly breaks the silence by saying, “Perhaps Lupin is a mixture of Logan and Patton.”

“Uh, yeah.” Virgil breathes out, grateful that the subject has been changed. “I can see that. Cute.”

They continue watching, but Roman is still distracted, Virgil can tell. Every so often, he bites his lip.

When they reach the first Divination lesson, Virgil asks, “Hey, um, what house is Trelawney in?” He tries and fails to hide his smirk.

“Hmm.” Roman hums thoughtfully. “Ravenclaw, if memory serves. Why?”

“Oooh. You might need to change Houses.”

Roman gasps, affronted, as Trelawney walks into a table. “I  _beg_  your pardon, but I am  _nothing_ like her.”

Virgil raises an eyebrow. “Oh, really?” 

And then, he tries it out, this whole teasing thing they seem to have going on. It’s new, but it’s not _bad_ new, and Virgil finds it surprisingly easy to imitate Roman’s booming projection of a voice:

“Are you in the _beyond?!_ ”

He is stunned that Roman now doesn’t look the least bit offended- he just throws back his head and laughs. 

“An accolade worthy performance, Virgil.”

Virgil smiles. “I just watch and learn from the drama queen.”

They slip into silence again. This time it stretches on for so long that Virgil thinks Roman might have fallen asleep. Maybe he should turn off the-

“A-ha!” Roman exclaims and Virgil jumps.

“Woah, woah, what?”

Roman is smiling, fist punching the air in victory. “I finally figured it out! That is, who you are. In... in this movie, certainly.”

Virgil sighs. “Look, I told you, I’m not bothered about the whole Houses thing-”

But Roman cuts him off, and he points at the screen, as Harry screams, _“Expecto Patronum!”_

“Why, you’re a  _Patronus_ , of course, Virgil! I don’t know why I didn’t think of it before.”

Virgil blinks, then looks at Roman uncertainly. “I don’t get it.”

“Oh, it’s all in the spell. A lot of them are rooted in Latin words, Logan was telling me.  _Expecto_  can mean I wait, and a Patronus is a protector. So _Expecto Patronum_  is like saying, “I wait for a protector.” And, you said it yourself, your goal is to  _protect_. Isn’t it wonderful, Virgil!” Roman claps his hands together. “You’re the Patronus charm!”

Surely he must be mishearing things. It takes Virgil a few attempts until he’s finally able to speak. “You’re... you’re saying that I- that I’m...”  _Strength? Light? I can **drive away** darkness? I... protect? _

He feels like his throat is closing up. “That’s... Jesus, Roman.” He sniffs. “That’s... probably the- the nicest thing anyone...”

His voice fails again, but he doesn’t care. He shuffles closer next to Roman on the couch, and Roman just smiles at him, briefly half hugging him with one arm. Then, he’s off waxing lyrical about all the different forms a Patronus can take, and how Virgil’s would probably shapeshift because that would be  _sweet_ , and what would everyone else’s be...

Virgil lets his words wash over him. Even if it’s ‘just’ fiction, he knows he’d be able to conjure up a strong Patronus. He already knows what his happy memory would be.

**Author's Note:**

> also on my tumblr: https://virgilsjourney.tumblr.com/post/164912771065/protector


End file.
